The Arona Council has been issued with a €60,000 fine for failing to renew a necessary permit from the Coastal Authority Costas) for the use of sunbeds, umbrellas, and other recreational facilities on several of its key beaches in the south of Tenerife. The notification arrived on July 19th, marking an unprecedented administrative oversight by the local council.
The fine relates to the unauthorised use of 16,926 square metres across four popular beaches: Las Vistas, Los Cristianos, Charco del Marqués, and Playa Honda.
These beaches are known for their high tourist traffic, making the failure to secure the appropriate permits particularly significant. According to the official report, the current municipal government missed the deadline to apply for the necessary authorisation to manage leisure services on these beaches.
In the case of Las Vistas Beach, one of south Tenerife's most well-known tourist destinations, the fine specifically references 1,200 sunbeds, 600 umbrellas, eight paddleboats, four paddleboards, and four beach sports courts, each measuring 250 square metres. The facilities occupy a total area of 11,212 square metres.
For Los Cristianos Beach, the violation includes 4,358 square metres occupied by 300 sunbeds, 150 umbrellas, and multiple courts for beach volleyball and tennis, as well as a sailing school.
At Charco del Marqués, the issue relates to a surf school with 120 square metres of facilities, while Playa Honda has 100 sunbeds, 50 umbrellas, and four surf schools spread over 1,206 square metres.
The sanction originated from a complaint filed on April 22nd by the local Coastal Authority’s monitoring department. The accusation is based on alleged unauthorised occupation of the public maritime-terrestrial domain by the Arona City Council, as the municipality did not submit the necessary administrative requests on time, which constitutes a breach of Spain’s Coastal Law (Law 22/1998) and its regulations.
Additionally, the council has been ordered to restore the affected areas to their original condition. They have a 15-day period to present any appeals or objections. The Coastal Authority has given 12 months to process and resolve the sanction.
As of now, the Arona City Council has not commented on the situation. This penalty adds to a growing list of problems for the current administration, which is already under investigation for unrelated issues involving the alleged misappropriation of public funds and resources.
